Vapor Trails Remixed

In 2002, after a six-year layoff from the recording studio, Canadian prog rock heroes Rush returned with the album Vapor Trails, the group's first album of the new millennium, and a return to the business of making music after drummer Neil Peart struggled with the death of his wife and daughter. While the group's loyal fans embraced this new batch of songs, not everyone was happy with the way the album sounded -- including the members of Rush. Bassist Geddy Lee told a reporter in 2013, "We overcooked it...the mixes were really loud and brash. The mastering job was harsh and distorted." When Rush released the compilation Retrospective, Vol. 3 in 2009, they included newly remixed versions of two tracks from Vapor Trails, "Earthshine" and "One Little Victory." The group and their fans were pleased with the sound of the new mixes, and Rush invited producer David Bottrill to give the full album a new mix that would correct the harsh, compressed tone of the 2002 release. Presented with Rush's full approval, Vapor Trails: Remixed features the same songs and same sequence as the original album, but with a sound that better suits the group's original intentions. "(David Bottrill) understood what it should sound like," Lee said, "so I'm very pleased with the end result. I think he's finally brought some completion and some justice to some of those songs we'd put so much of our heart and soul into." ~ Mark Deming